Latest: Man gets life imprisonment for murder of 17-year-old Daniel McAnaspie
Daniel McAnaspie's family want his killers to "rot in hell", they told the Central Criminal Court today.
Daniel's sister Nikita McAnaspie told a sentence hearing for the man convicted of his murder that Daniel's death had made their lives meaningless, adding: "We hate the people who did this."
Richard Dekker (30), from the Blanchardstown area of Dublin, was found guilty last month of the murder of 17-year-old Daniel McAnaspie at Tolka Valley Park on February 26, 2010.
The teenager's decomposed body was found almost three months later in a farmer's drain about 30 kilometres from where he was killed. He had been stabbed multiple times.
Trevor Noone (28), also from the Blanchardstown area of Dublin, pleaded guilty to manslaughter for his part in Daniel's death.
At the sentence hearing today Nikita spoke on behalf of her family. She said Dekker and Noone had taken their "beloved Daniel from us in the most tragic circumstances".
When the family first heard Daniel was missing in February 2010 they immediately feared the worst and searched fields, parks and rivers, still hoping that he would return to them with a smile on his face and tell them they had been worrying about nothing.
"While we searched, the people who killed him watched us," she said.
When it was found, Daniel's body was so badly decomposed his family was not allowed to see him and his coffin was closed at his funeral. Describing Noone and Dekker as evil, she said Daniel was a child who did not deserve to be murdered.
Noting that Daniel begged for his life as he was stabbed to death, she said the family is haunted by thoughts of his final moments.
"We hope they rot in hell," she added.
Detective Sergeant Dan Callaghan told the court that Dekker and Noone became suspects in the disappearance of Daniel McAnaspie because they were known to have been with him the evening he went missing.
Daniel, who was in the care of the HSE, had skipped his curfew and spent the evening with Dekker, Noone and three other friends. In the early hours of the morning Daniel's friends went home but he remained with Dekker and Noone.
Det Sgt Callaghan told prosecuting counsel Brendan Grehan SC that Noone and Dekker initially denied all knowledge of what happened to Daniel, but after his body was found they each blamed the other for stabbing Daniel and hiding his body.
Today's hearings were held separately after prison guards told Justice Patrick McCarthy there was an issue with having Dekker and Noone present at the same time.
Det Sgt Callaghan said Dekker had 25 previous convictions, including one for possession of a knife. In 2010, after he had murdered Daniel, he was sentenced to two years and six months for unlawful possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Justice Patrick McCarthy sentenced Dekker to life imprisonment, the mandatory term for murder. He will be given credit for time already served.
Det Sgt Callaghan then gave evidence in the sentence hearing for Noone, telling Mr Grehan that Noone pleaded guilty to Daniel's manslaughter in February this year.
He said that throughout garda interviews Noone had blamed Dekker for the killing and said that he was there only as a bystander. He also admitted that he knew Dekker was carrying a blade and that Dekker wanted to stab Daniel.
During a series of interviews he made several admissions and brought gardaà to the location where Daniel was killed.
Days after the killing Noone said that he helped Dekker and Dekker's half-brother Christopher Gaffney put Daniel's body in a suitcase so it could be removed and hidden.
Det Sgt Callaghan agreed that Gaffney has since died, his remains found in a ditch in Co Meath. "He met his end by foul means," he added.
Noone has 23 previous convictions, including nine public order breaches, two for misuse of drugs, and one for criminal damage.
He was sentenced to four years in Mountjoy prison in August 2010 for possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life. He has never had a job.
Noone's barrister Michael O'Higgins SC said his client knows he has done a terrible thing and wants to go to prison.
Reading from a psychiatric report, he said Noone had told a psychiatrist: "I need to be in jail for what I have done. When I know I have paid for what I have done then maybe in my head I will be okay."
Mr O'Higgins said this shows that Noone has insight into what he did and takes responsibility.
He said the report also outlined Noone's violent upbringing, during which he witnessed his own mother being stabbed and regularly suffered violence himself.
The report said he has a "schizoid" personality.
Whilst in custody Noone has been beaten up on several occasions. Mr O'Higgins said he has been targeted because of his role in killing the teenager.
Counsel asked Justice Patrick McCarthy to take into consideration his client's guilty plea and his remorse and extend the "maximum degree of leniency" possible.
Justice McCarthy adjourned sentencing Noone until April 24.
Evidence in trial
In February 2010 Daniel McAnaspie was in the care of the HSE, with both his parents having died. On the day he died his carers dropped him off in Finglas where he was going to hang out with some friends.
His curfew was 9pm but he skipped it and went to Blanchardstown with a friend to meet two girls. He was drinking and, according to several witnesses, was in good form.
Daniel, his friend Gary Arnold and the two girls, Denise Kelly and Shauna Burke, hung out on a residential street in Blanchardstown where they met Dekker and Noone.
It was the prosecution's case that later in the night, after Daniel's friends had left, Dekker and Noone lured him to Tolka Valley Park where they stabbed him to death with a single blade from a garden shears.
The only reason given for the attack was that earlier in the night Daniel was boasting about some people he had fought.
When he mentioned having fought a relative of Trevor Noone, Noone punched Daniel once in the face, knocking him to the ground. Daniel's friends said the pair made up immediately and shook hands.
But later in the night, the pair decided to give Daniel "a hiding". Each man gave a different account to gardaÃ, Noone saying that Dekker wanted to stab him and Dekker saying that Noone wanted to "give him a few digs".
At about 4am Daniel's friends went home. They tried to get Daniel to go with them but he wanted to stay.
Once his friends were gone, Noone and Dekker lured Daniel to Tolka Valley Park by telling him they were going to fight "some lads from Corduff".
According to Dekker's version of events, while they walked along a wooden boardwalk that crosses the Tolka River, surrounded by trees and bushes, Noone stabbed Daniel in the back with the shears.
Both men, in their different accounts, said Daniel begged for his life. Forensic scientist Dr David Casey identified 12 stab cuts on the jacket Daniel was wearing and former deputy state pathologist Dr Khalid Jaber found multiple stab wounds to his neck and torso.
Following the killing the two men abandoned the body and went home, but at some point it was removed and taken 30 kilometres where it was dumped in a farmer's drainage ditch at Rathfeigh, Co Meath.
There was evidence that it had been transported inside a suitcase, but by the time it was discovered by the farmer the suitcase had disintegrated and all that remained was its steel frame.
Daniel had been dead almost three months and his body was identified by matching it to DNA taken from his toothbrush.
Despite extensive insect infestation and decomposition Dr Jaber was able to see at least some of the injuries that caused his death.
Daniel McAnaspie's family want his killers to "rot in hell", the Central Criminal Court heard today.
Daniel's sister Nikita McAnaspie, told a sentence hearing for the man convicted of his murder that Daniel's death had made their lives meaningless, adding: "We hate the people who did this."
Richard Dekker (30), from the Blanchardstown area of Dublin, was found guilty last month of the murder of 17-year-old Daniel McAnaspie (pictured) at Tolka Valley Park on February 26, 2010.
The teenager's decomposed body was found almost three months later in a farmer's drain about 30 kilometres from where he was killed. He had been stabbed multiple times.
Trevor Noone (28), also from the Blanchardstown area of Dublin, pleaded guilty to manslaughter for his part in Daniel's death. A sentencing hearing for him will continue this afternoon.
At the sentence hearing for Dekker today Nikita spoke on behalf of her family. She said Dekker and Noone had taken their "beloved Daniel from us in the most tragic circumstances".
When they heard Daniel was missing in February 2010 they immediately feared the worst and searched fields, parks and rivers hoping that he would return to them alive and well.
"While we searched, the people who killed him watched us," she said. When it was found Daniel's body was so badly decomposed the family could not see him and his coffin was closed at his funeral. She said he was a child who did not deserve to be murdered.
"We hope they rot in hell," she added.
The hearing continues this afternoon in front of Justice Patrick McCarthy.
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